I'm Still Waiting
by animefan0789
Summary: "Natsu...You have been gone for months. Where are you? Are you okay? Are you hungry, or tired? I know it's ridiculous of me, but I'm losing hope and with that, my regrets increase. Why didn't I say "I love you" when I had the chance? I never would have thought that the smile that made my day could be lost in a matter of seconds. Are you even thinking of coming back?"
1. The Letter

**_I wanna try translating this story I wrote in Spanish to English... Let's see how it goes  
And yes, that means my first lenguage isn't English, but I worked really hard on this translation so give it a chance please!_**

**_I wrote this FanFic while listening to "See You Again" by Carrie Underwood. It's a beautiful song and I recommend you listen to it! :)  
Let me tell you that I still don't know If this translation will be a One-Shot or if I'll translate the other chapters, It all depends on the interest you guys have in this story and the reviews you post about it.  
I know it's really short but if I continue it, I the second chapter will have the same lenght and the others will be at least twice as long as this chapter._**

* * *

A stellar mage was sitting at her oak desk in her bedroom, which was only lit with her pedestal's warm light, contrasting with the white snow that was falling from the dark night sky even after a far too cold afternoon for her liking.  
It was a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, especially considering the mood of the young blonde, who did not seem to mind the lack of lighting at the time of writing. She had come out of the shower just over an hour ago so her hair was still damp, and that was a problem considering that outside her room the temperature was -3 C and the cold breeze was always able to find a way in through those little spaces below her windows and doors. Clearly, under these conditions, she was prone to get sick, but she did not care since she was too immersed in her writing.  
Her delicate hand neatly traced each word, but the eventual tear she shed made it hard to read. She should have been used to writting such letters, but this was different, because the person at the other side of it, the one that was suppossed to read it, was not her mother , and it was not being written for the same reasons, but right now, it didn't matter much. She knew it was not the same, but she needed to ease the pain in her chest every time she would think about him, and that pen and piece of paper were the best method for future novelist to do it.

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_[...] The day you left, a part of my heart was frozen, I froze in time. That ridiculous smile that used to make my day, who would have thought that I would lose it in seconds ? I still remember the day I met you , and you saved me from that mimic the way you smiled at me, the way you helped me, a total stranger at the time, and the way you turned my whole life upside-down, and you, very silly and oblivious as always, had no idea._

_That day when you left Fairy Tail... I cannot forget your smile, how happy you were and of course I understand the reason why. For so many years you searched for him, Your Dragon , your father , but I'm not going to say that a part of me didn't die when did you turned around and didn't look back. I'm still waiting for your return, I'm still waiting for that moment when I get home, to my apartment, and see you there, eating my food , sleeping in my bed , coming through the window, I'm still hoping that from one day to another, I see you in the guild , with a mission in hand , arguing with Gray, hiding from Erza , see fishing with Happy , or sick while riding the train. You should be back by now, where are you? You said you would be back in six months, but here I am , 1 year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days later, and no word from you._

_Perhaps it is the simple fact that I regret what I did, or rather what I did not do, what I now upsets me so much. I know nothing of your life, how is it , if you're hungry , or sleepy, if you're happy , if you are training with Igneel, and I regret that I did not have the courage to say "I love you" when I had the chance... And who knows if I will have that opportunity now? I'm afraid that you have disappeared from my life for goos, that one day I wake up to realize that two years have passed and I still have no word from you, that I'm still alone without my partner, my best friend, without the person I love._

_I'm afraid of losing you forever, What is taking you so long? Do not scare me more because I've had enough. Come back to me, Tell me about your new experiences, your training , your father , Your Journeys, Your adventures ... I know that you'll be back , that you will come back to your second family, Fairy Tail, I just have this ridiculous uncertainty (because knowing you, there is no way that you won't come back) that I might not see you ever again. I know it's silly of me, I know we'll meet again, I know that sooner or later you'll return, and when you do, I'll be waiting here, with my arms wide open to welcome you, a big smile on my face, maybe even some tears, and with what I've been keeping to myself for so long and that, even if it may not be reciprocal, you deserve to hear. That is why , I am saying Goodbye but only until I see you again, Natsu._

_Love,_

_ Lucy Heartfilia_

**_Please, tell me your opinion... Good or Bad, I'm interested in reading it  
Let me know if you think I should keep on translating or If I should leave it as a One-Shot  
Let me know what you think about my translation skills, Do they suck or are they acceptable?_**

**_THANK YOU FOR READING :)_**


	2. Thinking Of Her

**_Well, Since I've received five positive reviews ( which I'm grateful for :D ), here's the second chapter._**

**_I recommend you listen to "Without You " by Ashes Remain, It's a great song!... Listening to music creates a certain atmosphere to start writing for me, you might think that it inspires me (not that the lyrics and my story are related )._**

**_I hope you enjoy this new chapter of "I'm Still Waiting"_**

He knew very well what the date was. That day, a year ago, was the day he left her behind, the day he last saw her, listened to her, the day he smiled to her for the last time. Right now, all he could do was regret, as he looked at the stars, what he did not have the courage to say back then.

The stars were even more beautiful than as they were in town, but that glow they emitted, along with the huge full moon that lighted up the forest, the war fire that contrasted with the white snow, and the snowflakes that gently made their way to the ground, meant nothing to the boy, as his mind was elsewhere, at another time, his thoughts wondering off to a certain person.

What he did not know, was that not far away from where he was lying on the camp, a dragon was watching over him closely, trying to read that wistful expression on his adopted son's face. No one could blame the young boy; He should have been back to that place months ago, but here he was,due to the insistence of the dragon, when he actually should be somewhere else , in an apartment, more specifically , accompanying his partner while she probably wrote another letter to her deceased family.

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_I feel like I have betrayed your trust, And who would not , with what I've done? You trusted my word , I had asured that I'd be back in 6 months, but twice the promised time has passed, and it's all my fault . You must be worried, and knowing you, you are most probably hiding it behind that radiant smile of yours and those big chocolate-brown eyes filled with joy. OH, How I miss your scent, your home, your laugh, your weirdness, your jokes , your kicks to get me out of your bed ... I must be crazy to miss that, but you should already know that I have developed some sort of tolerance towards them after all that time we spent together. I'm desperate to see you, and I am not ashamed of that, every small gesture was enough to make me grin like a fool. Worst of all is that you thought of it as normal, but no one has an effect on me like you have. I would never say this out loud, because what we have is too special to ruin it for my simple selfishness, greed, my desire to want more , to want to hug you, kiss you, comfort you, make you feel in a way that no one else would._

_The other day I woke up in the middle of the night; that dream, or rather nightmare, continues to haunt me. I did not tell you, and I did not know how to either, but there is no night I go to sleep in peace, for the mere possibility of having to witness that again. I never told you that those dreams were the reason why I left and have not spoken to you all this time, I have to concentrate, although I must admit I'm not doing a really good job at it right now. Igneel said he was worried, and I'm sure he is, but this is something I must deal with by myself. The problem is, that right after that experience, which now haunts me in my dreams, I could not be at peace, because the mere thought of losing you frightened me. Now, because I do not know how you are, if you're happy , if you are healthy, if you can pay your rent, if you're safe, my nightmares are more recurrent; almost every night I wake up screaming your name. It is then that I realize: that happened months ago , I'm not with you, but my dad is beside me, looking at me with those eyes full of concern . It was only a month ago that he gathered enough courage to ask who was the girl that I called out for in my dreams. What could a dragon be possibly afraid of? Every time I woke up , my face said it all, so Igneel knew better than to ask me._

_Igneel is perceptive , and he realized that it was a sensitive issue for me, so he did not push it, but I think the intrigue won the best of him. When I finished my explanation, he asked "What is your relationship with her?" and I had to say that did not know, you were a friend, maybe something else, but did not know exactly what. When I said that he asked something that made me open up my eyes "What kind of relationship do you wish to have with her?" ._

_It hit me like five consecutive waves, like a hammer to the head , like your kicks to my chest, as hundreds of beats from Erza... I realized that this feeling I had been trying to put a name to for months was "Love" Corny, right? I realized that I love you, that I do not want to continue sleeping being apart from you, or wake up without your smile, I do not want another man near you, I do not want to eat without your company , I do not wanna live another day of my life apart from you, Lucy, And who could have thought that Natsu Dragneel knows this kind of feeling , right? But I do, and I laugh at myself now for not having realized before._

**_Let me know what you think of this chapter, be it good or bad, I'd like to know so I can improve  
Are my writting skills decent enough? Do I have one to many mistakes?_**

**_THANK YOU FOR READING! :)_**

**_Thank you BlueCelebi, narutofan96sasuke, Soph Doph, Shadowwitch042190 and Guest for your comments_****_! I'm glad you enjoyed the story and thought it was good enough to keep on translating, You have inspired me to keep on writting. This is why I'll gladly accept any comment you wish to make.  
Greetings to all of you that took your time to read my story and my A/N_**

**_ATENTION: The next chapter is going to be longer and the writting style will be different as well, including not only the characters' perspectived but also interactions with other characters, U will see what I mean :)_**


	3. Nightmares

**_I'M PUTTING THIS CHAPTER UP AGAIN BECAUSE OF A STUPID MISTAKE OF MINE!_**

**_I wanna thank BlueCelebi for making me realize my mistake, I cannot promise it won't happen again, but I can promise that I will do my best to avoid it ;) _**

**_IF YOU DIDN'T SEE THE FIRST UPDATE, THEN LET ME TELL YOU THAT THE MISTAKE WAS JUST ME BEING STUPID ;) (i forgot to translate a paragraph)_**

**_Well, here's the third chapter , and as promised, is longer... much longer ;)_**

**_Sorry it took me so long, But I've been having lots of exams :)_**

**_I think my English Is a little rusty, specially the last part, but let me know what you think_**

**_I remind you that this chapter has a different way of writing, I hope it is to your liking, although I think so much dialogue a part of the story's depth is lost such as the issues the characters' face_**

**_I forgot to tell you two things : this story takes place after the Grand Magic Games, and the letter in Italics mean both thoughts and flashbacks , and Lucy's case, italics can also be the content of her letters._**

**_With nothing more to say, I hope you enjoy this new chapter of "I'm Still Waiting"_**

He was exhausted, and he missed his second family, he missed her, but he couldn't do anything about it, not yet at least, she would have to wait.  
And even worse, not only did he miss her, but fatigue was consuming him. Every day he would sleep less because fear would dominate him while resting. He knew the best thing to do was relax and remind himself that nothing could happen until he fell asleep, but there was no guarantee that the nightmares wouldn't torment him later. It did not help that the date was the anniversary of his departure from Fairy Tail, and the anniversary of the last time he saw her.

That is how the Dragon Slayer spent his time until midnight, unable to sleep and knowing full well that a new long day was waiting for him. It was then that a deep voice echoed through the forest dyed white.

"Are you still thinking about her?"

The young boy glances towards where the deep voice came from, letting his sad smile show, which did not fit on his face that used to be accompanied by those goofy smiles

"The stars shine brighter here" said the boy, ignoring the question

"Natsu, I asked you something" Igneel said seriously, "You know I'm worried. You sleep less every day, and your nightmares are more frequent. Do you want to talk about - ? "

"There's nothing to talk about" Natsu cut him off, before Igneel could finish his sentence. Igneel gave him a reproachful look, which made the boy reconsider the way he spoke to his father "Forget it, Igneel" The boy sighed.

"You should remember that I am slightly aware of the situation Natsu, since you explained to me last month what your nightmares were, didn't you?"

"Yes, but -"

"But nothing. You got lucky that time since I only focused on a fraction of it, but now I want the whole truth" He said sternly. Natsu understood where his father was getting at, and he was a person, or rather dragon, very considerate and cared deeply for others.

"Why do you want to know?" Natsu asked, altough he already knew the answer

"I am interested, of course" The boy was disappointed by neither the response nor the way he said it: with a warm look, but with a tone as if explaining the obvious "Now tell me how those nightmares started. Clearly considering how childish you are, that kind of stuff doesn't occur to you alone"

Natsu laughed, bitterly  
"Remember how I told you that nine years ago we were attacked by Acnologia?"

"Yes, and you and your companions remained frozen in time for seven years"

"Yeah ..." Natsu was lost in thought, deeply immersed in his memories, in what he did not want to relive at all, but he would have to, because the face of the usually relaxed dragon was full of concern and Natsu did not want to be responsible for that "Well, after the occasional problems after our arrival, we ended up signing up for the Grand Magic Games"

"Mm ... Yeah, you commented something about it. I remember you told me about alternative futures and an invasion of dragons"

"Yes, but I didn't tell you everything" Natsu saw his father squint, trying to see what exactly did his son hid from him " I told you about two people that came from the future" He saw Igneel nod, "Well, one of these , was a friend of mine, from the guild"

" But I thought you did not know those people, considering that you refered to them as 'mean and nice time traveler' " At the time, Igneel had laughed at the nickname that his son had given to both strangers, but now he beginning to believe that there was a reason behind that.

Natsu laughed to himself, thinking how ridiculous he could be when it came to giving nicknames "I lied. That friend was Lucy" Igneel's face lit up in recognition at the name. He didn't know much about the girl , Natsu had mentioned her in his stories, and always with longing eyes, so he didn't put focuse on that subject since it was clearly a touchy one. Still, it was clear that Natsu was very fond of the guild and especially this girl named Lucy "What happened was ..."

* * *

_Flashback_

_The cloud of smoke cleared to reveal a man with both long dark hair and white short hair. An intricate tattoo under the eye that was not covered by his hair._

_"The shadows are fanning out... to the past? ...or perhaps to the future?" He asked with a cruel smile plastered on his face "Or maybe to the hearts of all the people?... Now this sure does brings back some fond memories... Natsu Dragneel" Natsu could not help his face of surprise as he recognized the mysterious character " I came from the future. I am Rogue"_

_" Rogue? " The Fire Dragon Slayer said, confused_

_"The one from Sabertooth?!" Asked Wendy_

_" He's from the future, too? " Lucy questioned_

_"Someone other than me? "Future Lucy added_

_"Why...?" Happy was confused, like all of those present_

_It was all pretty suddenly; the man had appeared and defeated all the soldiers that were once pursuing them. Now here he was, standing , watching them while the others could not help but question the whole situation._

_"You decimated the soldiers... to save us? " Loke broke the silence_

_"You seem different compared to before" Natsu casually said, not really focusing on the most important issue_

_"Why have you come back? " Charle asked_

_" To open the gates" he finally responds_

_"The Eclipse?! " Lucy asked, surprised_

_"There are two ways of using the eclipse. One is to travel through time. The other, is a weapon; the Eclipse Cannon . It's the only means we have of defeating 10,000 dragons " Future Lucy didn't know what to believe , she is more than confused. On the other hand, Natsu, Happy and Wendy celebrate the good news which fills them with hope_

_"Guess that makes this simple then, so we're actually allies!"_

_"YAY! We can beat the dragons!"_

_"We can save the future!"_

_"Unfortunately... it's not that simple" Rogue interrupted them "I come from a future 7 years from now. In 7 years, dragons will have already conquered the world. Not even a tenth of the human population survived... and of course, the Eclipse doesn't hold anywhere near as much power as it does now." Lucy , Natsu and Loke tensed after those news. The world would be dominated by dragons? Almost all mankind would die in their hands ? It was too much to take in "If we don' t stop the dragons here, the world is doomed"_

_"Alright, so we'll just bust open the gates!" Natsu says animated, but a little worried "No worries~"_

_"But 7 years ago, in other words, now... someone stopped us from opening the gates. Because of that, the gates were not opened , and we couldn't fire the Eclipse Cannon at the horde of ten thousand dragons. That person brought about the destruction of this world" Rogue continued without giving prominence to Natsu's comment" That's why I'm here. To eliminate that person"_

_"An obstacle? But what if we reasoned with them, it should be fine, right?" Charle questioned_

_"We don't need to go about killing people" Pantherlily added_

_" At such an important 'intersection of time' words alone can't control it. Even if they are convinced now... It's already decided that they would close the gates" Rogue Responds_

_" It's decided?" Lucy is surprised by such extremist view_

_"An inescapable destiny, in which the ones meant to survive live on and the doomed ones, long as they are alive, the ones destined to close the gates will do so without fail" Rogue Continued_

_" You're losing me..." says Natsu relaxed , somewhat confused and tired of the whole ordeal "Who's this dude you are talking about Anyways?"_

_"It's You" Rogue responds with a cold sneer full of hatred "Lucy Heartfilia!" yells while he throws a shadow-knife towards the girl. Lucy, still surprised and confused, doesn't react in time to move._

_"LUCY!" Natsu yells. Time stops when he turns to see her friend. Future Lucy comes between the blade and her counterpart, receiving the attack in the abdomen. Natsu, Lucy and Wendy are livid while watching Future Lucy's body fall to the floor as she coughs out blood._

_"Wa-Wait... You ...?! " Lucy says as she bends over to hold her future self, on the brink of death_

_"Lucy!" Shouts Happy while going to the aid of her friend. Natsu remains in his spot , still as a rock, confused, trying to process everything that happened at that time he reacted too late to save his friend_

_"There are Two Lucy's?! " Rogue says confused_

_"Hang in there!"_

_"Lucy!"_

_"I ...never closed... the... gates " says the girl on the brink of death, while she pants and more blood spills from her wound_

_"I know you didn't! I would never do such a thing!" Lucy responds "Why did you save me?!"_

_" Because... you're ... my past ... either way... I would have ceased to exist... " She responds while gasping for air "To die whilst being watched by myself... It feels strange..."_

_"It's the same for me, so you can't die! " Lucy was frantic_

_"It's ... ok... " She says as blood trickles down her chin " ... I managed to meet up with everyone... Even though I never thought I'd have the chance to, ever again..." Wendy trembled as she tried to control her tears as Loke watched, speechless , pale and still as a statue "I'm... happy with... just... that "_

_" Lucy... no... you can't die... " Happy says with tears in his eyes. Natsu does not understand , he cannot understand how can his friend be dying right in front of him and he wasn't able to do anything about it ._

_"I'm... not from this time ... No, I'm not even a part of the people of this world... The me from this world ... lives on with... her comrades... So, don't be sad..."_

_"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! " Happy says desperately while watching his friend slowly die. Tears fall freely down his blue catlike cheeks " No matter what world you're from... whoever you say you are, Lucy is Lucy! We're comrades! There's no way we won't be sad!" Future Lucy embraces the little feline with her arm and he returns the gesture._

_She removes her hand from the Exceed's head when addressing to her past-self "Hey... Show me your guild mark... "_

_"Eh?" Lucy says confused. It is when she sees the tears of the dying girl while she reaches for her right hand with her left one and sees Future Lucy's eyes full of love while admiring the guild mark, that she realizes " You... your right hand..."_

_Natsu cannot see the scene more. His lower lip trembles as he recalls the happy smile on his friend's face when she got the mark _"Natsu! Check it out! I've got the mark of Fairy Tail now!"_ The boy kept his jaw clenched as his body trembles, but doesn't want his tears to betray him, he doesn't want his eyes to give him away, He wants to tolerate the burning feeling in his eyes, the one that can only mean one thing: the tears are threating to come out._

_"I really...wanted to go on more adven...tures... " Past Lucy's silent cries become loud while watching her future-self smile for the last time before falling to the ground._

_Her last words resonate in the minds of all present:_

_"Protect ... The Future "_

_Lucy hides her tears from the world, Wendy covers her mouth with her hands to control her sobs, unlike Happy, who cries inconsolably without shame of his sounds reflecting a raw anguish. Loke feels his eyes are burning and tries to control the urge to mourn in the same way as the others, causing tears to accumulate on his eyelids._

_Natsu feels as if his heart has been torn, he cannot face his friends, because he is afraid that the moment he does, that single tear falling down his cheek becomes an endless cry, that his eyes become nothing more but the reflection of pure anguish, and that the only sound that escapes his lips is a piercing scream, full of despair. He must maintain as much composure as possible because his friends need him to be strong._

* * *

"She... she died" Natsu was shaking by then, his hands made fists, closed so strongly that his knuckles went white "I... I..." He couldn't continue, he didn't want to, Why does he remember all of this? It had already hurt enough when he lived it in the flesh, and remembering now was not any better. His friend, lying on the floor, not moving nor breathing, and the blood that kept pouring out of her wound. Luckily for Natsu, Igneel drove him out of his thoughts

"I still do not understand why you didn't tell me sooner, son" The dragon's voice was soft but hoarse.

"I believed it wouldn't be necessary, I thought that the nightmares would stop along the way and I didn't want to worry you with silly things"

"The things that trouble you are not silly, Natsu" The voice was charged not only with warmth, but severity. How could Natsu think that the things that happened to him were ridiculous? He, as his father, would have never thought less of his son's pain. He would respect his suffering and help him through this difficult time. Perhaps before he hadn't been able to, but now he was there, with his son before him, and the kid needed his father's comfort "You changed the future, Natsu. With that, your friend's future counterpart managed to live. Everything is okay now, she won't have to live what you witnessed"

"Gray said the same thing" Natsu mumbled with his head held low, but he was clearly heard by Igneel; It was to expect that the dragon with more sensitive hearing than the Dragon Slayer could hear him. Igneel's eyes were reflecting unsaid questions "One day he came to my house, and let's just say that he found me in a state of shock... I had just woken up from one of those nightmares. It took him a really long while to get the information out of me, but when something slipped out of my mouth, everything else followed like a wave of confessions" Natsu's voice gave away the fact that he was hurt, in despair for the pain that the situation had caused him, and, at the same time, it was sort of caring, since, even though he was talking about his rival Gray and their not so masculine moment together, he had, and still did, appreciated the support the ice alchemist had given him at the time.

"Natsu, I know you want to come back and-"

"I don't want to leave you, Igneel!" The boy raised his head quickly after listening his father's words "But… it's just that I don't understand" he released a sigh

"I've already explained it to you Natsu; I need you to stay for a little while longer because-"

"¡It's not that! I don't understand why I cannot be with you and Fairy Tail at the same time, Igneel" Natsu studied his companion's expression, he clearly regretted some things

"Natsu, is dangerous, as much as it is for you as it is for them. I would have loved to meet your family, specially this Lucy girl" Igneel saw how a smile was slowly appearing in his son's face, nostalgic but full of love.

"Lucy..." The man's voice was filled with his love for the young girl, and the mere mention of her name, relaxed him "When I saw what happened, I couldn't stand it" Igneel assumed that Natsu was back to talking about the incident at the Magic Games "I didn't give a shit if she was from another world, another time. Lucy is Lucy, Happy was right; she still is the same person, I love her either way" Natsu's eyes widened when he realized the confession he had just made.  
Igneel chuckled at the boy's expression "Yes, I believe I would have thought the same thing" He saw how Natsu relaxed after that tense moment that came after his confession. Clearly, the boy thought that Igneel would drop the subject there... How mistaken he was "If you love her so much, Would you explain to me why haven't you said anything yet? And here I was thinking you were still as dense as a rock" the boy pouted, inflating his cheeks and causing Igneel's deep laugh to resonate in the clearing.

"I don't want to ruin it; Our friendship. It's something too important to ruin it just because I long for more" Natsu knew that there was no turning back on his confession, so might as well be completely sincere and get that weight off his shoulders that he had been carrying for over a year.

"And how do you know, that she doesn't think the same thing?"

"She doesn't. I'm too dense for someone to be thinking of me as something more than some kind of brother, I'm even surprising myself talking about this" Natsu laughed, a more happy and relaxed laughter. It felt nice to lean on someone for a change, but he would never admit that. He was Natsu Dragneel, He supports people, he doesn't lean on them, he's an optimistic man, he cannot show weakness nor be negative towards life.

"You are a fool" Natsu was surprised to hear that word coming out of his father's mouth "People will love you no matter what you are. Being dense doesn't mean that other people are too. I'm sure that this girl feels great affection towards you and I do not believe it's a 100% impossible that this girl has developed the same kind of feelings for you that you have towards her" Igneel saw how Natsu was plunged in his thoughts once again "Think about it, Natsu"

"It doesn't matter, after all, who knows when I will be able to see her again" He commented seriously

"Don't say that. This will be over soon and you'll reunite with her once again"

"Do not make any promises that you may not be able to keep, Igneel" Said dragon saw how Natsu tensed. Clearly, this whole situation was hurting him, and the uncertainty was driving him crazy. Because of that, he decided to leave him be for a little while, so that he could process all of the things that were said.

Natsu sighed "_I miss you, Lucy, I don't want that time to be the last time I see your smile. I want to see you again. I don't know when I'll come back, or if I'll come back at all, but please, be safe and sound, so that I can meet you once again. You'll see, I'll put an end to this thing and I'll come back to you"_

**_Let me know what you thought of this chapter!_**

**_THANKS FOR READING! :)_**

**_Jeez, you have no idea how exhausting translating can be! Or maybe you do know LOL_**

**_Thank you BlueCelebi, vishali, FDKNatsuDragneel, narutofan96sasuke and bored-outa-my-mind97 for your reviews! Your reviews were greatly appreciated, and I reaaally hope to hear more from you :)_**


	4. The Mission

_**OKAAAYY... I know I'm a disaster guys! I'm on my knees begging for forgiveness! I made you wait for a month and a half! I shouldn't have the right to write anymore! T.T **_

_**I feel so bad! I'm so so so so so so so so so Sorry!**_

_**Okay, Let's make this short... I seriously recommend you listen to this songs (I like giving this sort of suggestions, I've come to know great songs through Fanfics and A/N) : "Through it all" by Spoken [it's rock, don't like, don't listen ;)] and "Shouldn't come back" by Demi Lovato [ I don't like her that much, and the lyrics are kindda redundant, but this song is really relaxing for me (Is that weird?)**_

**_OH! and can someone please tell me what a community is? I'm talking about this website (apparently, this story belongs to two communities and I have no clue what that means haha) _**

**_Anyway... Without further ado, here's the fourth chapter of "I'm Still Waiting"_**

Just the idea of leaving her warm home depressed her. She did not want to get wet because of the pile of snow waiting for her just outside her apartment, but she knew better than to go to the guild or they would get worried; the day before, because of the date, because it was that day, she decided to skip her day at the guild and stay home, writing her novel and then her letters.

When she had finally decided to get out of bed, her window was opened swiftly and a blue fur ball came in flying and took cover under the covers.

"Happy!" Lucy said surprised as she moved to close the window and prevent the room from getting cold. A chill run down her back as the wind hit her bare arms and shoulders "Where were you last night?" The cat had been living with the stellar mage ever since his adoptive father disappeared. The girl took a sit on her bed, removing the sheets to uncover the little Exceed's head and pet him behind his ear.

"Lucy!" Happy shouted "Charle rejected my fish!" A smile replaces his grimace when he feels the delicate fingers of her friend, practically foster mother for a year, running down his fur in a comforting way.

"Again?" Said the exasperated blonde, it was not the first that this happened and she was sure it wouldn't be the last either.

"Aye!" The cat looked up to see Lucy, whose gaze was full of affection

"Well?" The Exceed looked at her blankly "Where were you? I had a fish right here waiting to be eaten, but you never came. I had to throw it away because it got bad" The girl laughed when she saw Happy's offended face. He felt insulted. To throw away fish?! Was she insane?! To Happy, that was a sacrilege "I-It's a lie, Happy" She said while laughing to her heart's content.

"Lucy! You meanie!" The feline said while puffing his cheeks, pouting "I wanted to go home" Said the cat with a sad look, the mood changing drastically. Lucy understood that the little one wanted to be alone, he was suffering as much as her, if not more, with the whole situation.

"Ne, Lucy?" The girl looked at the kitten to see a question unsaid written in his eyes "It's been a year already, do you think-?"

"Happy" The girl interrupted him seriously "Since when do you doubt of Natsu, eh? I'm sure that he is alright and that he's got a really good reason to take so long to come back. He knows that if he doesn't come back with a good enough excuse, he'll have Erza to deal with" The cat laughed. The red-head was more pissed off than sad about the situation

_Flashback_

_Happy had decided to visit the guild, even if it was for an hour. Then he'd go back home, not Lucy's, but Natsu's. Sometimes, the little feline needed time to himself._  
_The Exceed walked into the guild. This past year, it became normal for him not to fly around so much anymore, but it had been worse right after Natsu's departure, since his feet were glued to the floor all the time and his lips never parted to speak. With Lucy's help, however, he was no longer depressed. The stellar mage had been a great moral support for him, and she had turned into his most trusted person. Yes, has was sad, Happy could not deny that he missed his pink haired teammate, but he was beginning to accept things as they were, and when he returned, Happy would receive him with a smile on his face and a fish on his paw._

_"Happy!" Mira was surprised to see the Exceed. She, as everyone else, hadn't changed much; the guild hall was lively, but it was not the same, because they lacked that_ Dragon Slayer that would argue with Gajeel, that would insult and fight with Gray, that would hide from Erza or that would burn all of the stools and destroy all of the tables. Natsu's absence was felt from day one, but nobody let it get to them, nobody allowed Natsu's absence to depress them, since they knew that he was with his father, the one he had sought for so long. Instead, they all supported Team Natsu, which was the most affected and decayed out of all of them for the departure of the noisy fire Dragon Slayer_ "Did you come here with Lucy?" Mira said with a sad smile plastered on her face as she looked over the guild's door, hoping to see a blonde haired mage._

_"No, I came by myself. Lucy was sleeping when I left, I think she went to bed late at night because she was writing a letter" Mira knew about the letters the cat was talking about, and she wouldn't be surprised if that was actually the case._

_"So..." Mira started "Two fish, right?"_

_"Aye!" The Exceed said, a bit more lively "I hope Charle accepts it" The girl smiled at him and addresses to the person two stools away from the Exceed, to Happy's right._

_"Erza, do you want another strawberry cake?"_

_"Yes, thank you Mira" The reequip mage turns to face Happy "How's Lucy?"_

_"She was still asleep when I left" The cat informed her_

_"Mm... I doubt she comes into the guild"_

_"Well Of course, she's surely gonna spend the whole day depressed over that idiot" Gray added, appearing right behind Erza, without his shirt on._

_"Gray, your clothes!" Cana yelled from her table, where she was talking with Macao, Wakaba, and, much to her dismay, Gildarts._

_"Damn it!" Gray said while he picked up his white shirt from the floor "But seriously Erza..." el alchemist took a seat between Erza and the stool Happy would have occupied if the Exceed wasn't standing on the bar "Were you expecting something else? Pinky hasn't returned, and he should have done over half a year ago. Lucy is certainly concerned about him, nobody knows where he is, if he's alright, or if-"_

_Erza hit the table with her fist, a dark aura emanating from her, which made Gray shut his mouth and back away along with Happy. The rest of the guild is silent, all eyes on the Scarlet haired mage and her two companions._

_"I'm sure that idiot is fine...And when I see him..." Erza got up from her seat, her Scarlet hair covering her face. Before anyone can react, Erza brings up one of her swords and cuts the stool in half "I'll make him wish he was never born!" The girl looks up and everyone can see her eyes filled with rage. Happy and Gray swallow spit while backing away a little further. _

_"Ara, ara..." Mira said breaking the silence "I think we are all a bit mad and sad because Natsu hasn't contacted us but-" Mirajane stops talking when Erza plunges her sword in the bar._

_"I'm not sad..." Erza said "I know that asshole will come back, and when he does, I'll make sure that he loses all chances of having children" Every man at the guild felt shivers running down their backs, and a strong instinct to protect their special place._

_After that, the guild's atmosphere turned serious, and relatively quiet if you did not consider the few murmurs coming from the corners that were further ways from the dark Titania, who after turning around to see them one last time, took her cake and left for Fairy Hills, closing the door loudly causing the blow to resonate in the guild._

_Later that day, Happy would offer his fish to Charle, only to be rejected once again._

Lucy and Happy stayed at home during that cold morning, having decided to go to the guild at noon for lunch, since the temperature was supposed to rise a bit by then. The girl couldn't help but think that she probably wouldn't have been so cold the night before if her partner had been with them. Surely he would have gotten inside her covers, and although she would have complained about that, she would have been very grateful for Natsu's presence, that had saved her from getting colds multiple times.

The duo spent their time talking, mainly about Charle

"But Lucy…! If I don't keep offering fish to Charle, what's gonna happen when she wants to eat one and she doesn't have any?!"

"What I'm saying Happy..." Said the girl, exasperated due to the cat's insistence "Is that maybe Charle would like to eat something else rather than fish" Happy looked at her as if she had grown two heads

"Lucy!" the little feline shouted, offended "There's no person or cat on earth that doesn't prefer fish!" Lucy sighed. Happy was genuinely a hopeless cat, so she decided to change the subject

"The sun's out, maybe the snow melted a little. Do you wanna go to the guild now?"

"Aye!"

The girl left her apartment and headed to the guild with Happy, the two of them talking animatedly while the blonde was trying not to lose her towards balance while walking on the edge of the street, the canal at her left.

"Be careful, Lucy-san!" Shouted one of the men from the boat that was floating on the water. It was cold and snowing but the water had not reached a temperature low enough to freeze, but even so, it would be very bad if the girl fell.

"Hai!" Answer the mage casually.

"Aye!" Happy said, even though the warning was not addressed to him

After a relatively long walk, they reached the lively guild. Outside the guild, Lucy could hear clearly her guildmates' yelling, along with the sound of flying chairs and tables, crashing against the walls, dishes breaking and ...

"WHO THE HELL THREW THIS?!" Lucy opened the doors to find the wizards being intimidated by the fearsome Erza Scarlet, AKA Titania. The girl was holding a book in one of her hands, a book that Lucy recognized as a part of Levy's collection, and on the other hand, a piece of something that was once a strawberry cheesecake _"Someone's in trouble, or rather dead" _The blonde thought.

"My book!" Levy shouted. Everyone turned around to see the girl, who was glaring at Gajeel, the only person involved in the fight that was close enough to reach the petite girl's books.

"Gajeel..." Erza said with a low but intimidating voice. The redhead went over to the Dragon Slayer and knocked him unconscious with a single blow "Keep fighting and you'll be next!" She threatened. With that, everyone went back to their places, resuming their conversations and sipping on their drinks.

Lucy noticed how Gray hadn't been involved at all in the fight, sitting at the same table with Levy, who was arguing with a now conscious Gajeel about her ruined book, Juvia, who was idolizing the ice alchemist from her spot next to him, and now Erza, that after hitting Gajeel had taken a seat at the alchemist side that was not occupied by the mage's personal stalker.

"Hi there!" Lucy said as she approached the table

"Lucy! How are you?" At Erza's question, Lucy knew there were many things implied, considering the previous day, but the blonde decided to brush it off.

"I'm good! But I've got a little problem…"

"What would that be, Lu-chan?" Levy asked

"Rent" Lucy said, now crestfallen while she took a seat next to her best friend

"Well, it would be best if we go out on a mission" Erza suggested "Whose turn is it to pick?"

"That would be mine" Gray answered, ignoring his stalker's fanciful comments. The boy got up and walked towards the bulletin board.

"Where's Wendy?" The stellar mage asked

"Aye! Where's Charle?" Happy asked, who had strayed to get two fishes as usual

"They're not here" The redhead replied "Wendy said that she had to do some shopping with Charle. It seemed that Romeo was tagging along too"

"Romeo?" Lucy asked, puzzled

"Yes, it seems they have a lot in common. Must be because of their age"

"Mm... You may be right, after all, the only one that has the same age as Wendy in the guild is Romeo"

"Yes, but Wendy asked me not me not to tell Mira or she will start playing match-making"

The blonde laughed at the comment "It seems that Mira as a reputation for meddling"

"She is no different from you" Intervened Gray, who was back with the group and with a mission in hand. The stellar mage puffed her cheeks "I've got a mission"

"Awesome!" The girl celebrated, forgetting all about the offensive comment of a few seconds ago.

"Where is it?" Erza asked

"In Boshin _**(A/N: it's the name of a Japanese civil war, but I decided to use it as the name of a town)**_ and it seems pretty easy if you ask me, plus the reward is quite good"

"BOSHIN!? That's so far away!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah, there's at least one day travelling by train and a few hours by carriage, It's pretty isolated"

"What's the mission about?" Erza asked, taking the flyer from Gray's hand

"It seems that a girl from a rich family got sick and to make the cure they need some sort of plat that grows in the forest on the outskirts of the town. The problem is that the woods have a reputation for being quite dangerous, and nobody has entered them for ages. It's gonna be a pretty long mission since we've got to take a detour on our way back to deliver the plant to the family"

"Don't they live there? Plus, wouldn't the snow be a problem if we are trying to find a plant? They said that the snowstorm affected the whole continent of Fiore, so the plant shouldn't be able to live out in the cold" Lucy questioned

"No" Erza answered while looking over the flyer "Boshin is a really humble town, the family lives in Clover. Regarding the snow, it seems that it won't be a problem either. The plant grows in cold weather and has a very characteristic red colour, so it would contrast with the snow, making the search easier"

"Clover? Isn't that where the guild masters meet?"

Gray nodded "So? What do you think?"

"Well… the pay is good and there's no reason for you to go around destroying the town, so count me in" Lucy replied

"Sounds good. We've been going on really difficult missions lately, I think we could do something a bit more laid back" Erza agreed

"Perfect. Then what do you think of meeting up in an hour at the station?" Gray said

Both women nodded and the group dispersed to get ready for the mission.

* * *

"Natsu!" Igneel's voice echoed through the forest.

"Ugh ..." The boy had been enjoying a restful sleep in his cave at the foot of the mountains until he heard his father yelling

"Wake up!"

"Five more minutes ..."

... ... ... ... ...

Ten seconds later, Natsu was standing with a bundle on his head thanks to the blow inflicted by Igneel "Ouch... grouchy old man..."

"I need you to go to Boshin" His father asked him

"Huh? And why?" Natsu whined, still rubbing his head

"I told you last night, Don't you remember?" Natsu thought about the previous night, but all that was coming to mind was the food and the conversation about Lucy with Igneel. "While you were having dinner I told you a friend was coming to visit in 5 days"

"Oh!"

"..."

"I don't remember" Natsu said bluntly

"I think you'll be very interested to meet her" Igneel said, resisting the urge to deal another blow to the boy's head

"Why do you say that?"

"You'll see," Igneel said with a smile

"What do I have to do in Boshin? You Already know that if I have to go by train count me out"

"And that's why I'm asking you today, so you can get there by foot" Igneel laughed after seeing Natsu's expression "It's a hike of a day and a half Natsu. Anyway, I need you to go and get me a plant"

"A plant? What the hell do you that? There are more than enough here"

Igneel had to resist, once again, so that he wouldn't hit is idiotic child "Let's say this friend of mine has an extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and the last time I saw her ... Well to make it short, I burned all her stockpile" Natsu laughed at his father's clumsiness "Okay, that's enough! "Igneel took a book and showed Natsu a photograph of a bright red flower "This is the plant. It grows in cold climates and is usually found in the woods on the outskirts of Boshin. Try not to burn anything" He warned

Natsu said goodbye to his father and left. He was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be training that day, but at the same time happy, as he had a slight idea of who was the mysterious visitor.

_"If it really is ..."_ The boy sighed _"How I wish Wendy was here"_ The boy smiled at the memory of her friend.

* * *

**A day and a half later**

"Gray, Are you nuts? - She says" Horologium said while carrying his master through the snowy path outside a small village called Boshin.

"You know that I have tolerance against the cold Lucy, And you can't be cold stuck in there!" Said a shirtless Gray

"Yes, I can - She says" responded Horologium

"Stop fighting" Erza interrupted them "Well, we must delve into the forest. We should be able to find the plant at the base of the mountain"  
They then heard a "_Puff" _coming from back of the group

"No! H- Horologium, come b-back!"

"Looks like you're out of transport" Gray Mocks the blonde that's now sitting in the snow

"S-Shut up" She shakes the snow off of her but it doesn't take long before the cold weather begins to affect her "H-H-How come you are n-not c-cold, Erza?" She asked, shivering as she watched her friend with her usual attire: her armor and blue skirt

Said girl ignored the question and stopped dead in her tracks "Sh!"

Lucy and Gray stopped by the girl side, with Happy flying over the celestial mage's shoulder

"What's wrong?" Lucy whispered her friend's ear. They remained silent for a few seconds.

"I could have sworn ..." Erza dragged her sentence "Forget it" She smiled at her companions and started walking again. Both mage and the cat let it pass _"I could have sworn I heard Natsu's voice"_ She finished the sentence in her head.

* * *

_"Damn lazy old man! Sending me to do his work..."_ Natsu's inner thoughts were full of complaints about his father as he walked through the outskirts of Boshin

"..." The boy stopped walking to listen to a voice close to him _"Hm? Who else is here?"_

"Looks like you're out of transport"

_"GRAY!?"_ The Dragon Slayer hid behind a tree after seeing his best friends walking through the same path he was taking _"Lucy ..."_ Only seeing her was enough for him to move his foot toward his nakama, longing to talk to them "Happy... Erza... perverted Gray ... "Natsu realized how much he had missed them, but he had to put an end to his reverie before he was discovered. He couldn't afford to be seen. He also realized that he must be crazy to miss the Stripper _"Even so, what the hell are they doing here?"_ The boy saw from afar how Lucy was arguing with Gray after Horologium disappeared, leaving her vulnerable to the cold _"What would they have to do around here? A mission? Have they come by train? But the station is really far away, Maybe they continued traveling by carriage?"_ Thinking of transport, the boy could not help but let out a moan; nausea seizing him: "Ugh ..." He realized the mistake he had made when he saw Erza stop in her tracks _"No way! Did she hear me?!"_ The boy put his hand over his mouth to cover it and muffle any sound that could come from it and hid further behind a tree, hoping to merge with it so that he wouldn't be seen.

"What's wrong?" He heard Lucy whisper. After that question, silence reign for a few seconds. Just when Natsu thought he could come out of his hiding spot, he heard Erza's voice.

"I could have sworn..." Erza dragged her sentence _"Please, don't say it, don't say it, if I see them now I'll have to separate again, and they won't let me ... please don't say it"_ Natsu thought desperately " Forget it "Erza continued walking, and Natsu sighed, relieved. It was when they were a bit further away that Natsu stared intensely at the group.

"Sorry..." Natsu mumbled to the air, not expecting an answer. His head was bowed, his hair was covering his eyes, his hands made fists _"I'm really sorry"_ It was then that he looked up and realized that Lucy seemed to be looking for something in the woods, in his direction to be precise, and he was exposed, while he was thinking and feeling guilty over the whole situation, he had moved away from the tree, just a bit but enough for Lucy to be able to see him. Natsu quickly hid behind a bush

"Lucy, Are you okay?" Erza asked

"¿Eh? Oh... Yeah..." The girl said without much energy, still distracted. Natsu saw from his spot how his best friend turned around to continue walking.

_"I'm so sorry Lucy... I still can't come back"_ His thoughts were nothing but pure remorse _"But I promise, I promise that I'll come back Lucy, Fairy Tail. It's just not the time yet"_

_"I could have sworn I saw him..."_ Lucy thought, her sadness reflected on her big brown eyes _"But that's impossible... He's with Igneel. It must be because I miss him... Yeah, that must be it" _The girl raised her head to look at the slightly cloudy sky, letting a sad smile appear on her lips "_What's taking you so long, Natsu? The missions and train rides are not the same without you, nothing is the same without you. You better have a good reason to make us wait so long"_

__**THANKS FOR READING! :)**__

_**Let me know what you think, it doesn't matter if your opinion is good or bad, I'll appreciate it and take it into account :)  
**__**What do you think of Lucy's and Natsu's almost encounter? Unfortunately, for the real thing you'll have to wait, since I've got lots of things planned ;)**_

_**There's this something in this chapter that makes me dislike this chapter a bit :s... the worst thing is that I don't know what it is!**_

_**I wanna thank Red the Revolutionary and Fairy Tails for their reviews!**_

_**_**Red the Revolutionary: thanks for making me realize my mistake... I don't know if you read the A/N, but I explained in the 1st chapter that this story is a translation of my Fanfic. Since that Fanfic is written in Spanish (my 1st language) I probably skipped it, probably due to my sleepiness haha. Don't know if you saw it later, but I've corrected the mistake**_**_

_**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**_

_**WAIT PATIENTLY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! I'LL TRY TO UPDATE ASAP!**_


	5. Encounters

**_SO... Yeah... I'm safe and sound, kicking and everything..._**

**_I'm extremely sorry for months without an update! with the Spanish version also happened but not for so long!_**

**_I'm really really really sorry! And if there are some readers out there I'm surprised to say the least. So... since July right? And it's December... Holy shit I suck!_**

**_Natsu: Shit can't be holy_**

**_Animefan0789: It's an expression, Natsu_**

**_Natsu: It's weird_**

**_Animefan0789: -.-' Everything is weird for you_**

**_Natsu: No, just the expression. Oh! And Lucy_**

**_Lucy: I'm not weird!_**

**_Natsu: Yes you are!_**

**_Lucy: I'm not!_**

**_Natsu: Yes, you are!_**

**_Lucy: I'm-!_**

**_Animefan0789: Enough! I've made my readers wait long enough_**

**_Lucy: And whose fault was that? And you call yourself a writer..._**

**_Natsu: At least she lets us read it!_**

**_Animefan0789: Anyway! Back on track! I suck at updates and I hope you enjoy this chapter of "I'm still waiting"_**

**_Lucy: More than "I'm still waiting" it should be "The readers are still waiting"_**

**_Animefan0789: I AM SORRY OKAY?! I KNOW I SUCK T.T_**

**_BTW! During a flashback in this chapter, there are some words in which I didn't use Italics, that's because they are thoughts. Since when the format is normal I use italics for thoughts, I made it the other way around._**

The young Dragon Slayer didn't even realize he had reached his destination; he had been too deep in thought to notice.

"Natsu! Took you long enough! I was wondering if you had gotten yourself lost. My friend arrives tomorrow so it's good you arrived today, she doesn't like to wait" said the dragon who was waiting for him at the entrance of the cave.

The boy didn't answer; he simply left the plant that was entrusted to him at Igneel's feet and went inside the cave

"Natsu? What's wrong?" The boy froze at the question, but didn't turn around to face his father. Natsu turned his head just a bit, only enough so that his lips were visible, his eyes covered by his pink hair

"I saw them" he said weakly. The dragon looked at him blankly. What could have caused this amount of distress to Natsu? It was when his son raised his face and his eyes were visible, that he understood who he was talking about

"Natsu ... I'm really sorry" Igneel started "How were they?"

"Fine, I guess ... It seems that they are worried. When Erza heard me-"

"You were seen?!" Igneel interrupted him

"No, Erza heard me, but thought it was her imagination so she kept walking. Although, come to think of it, Lucy was pretty close to seeing me too, but I hid behind some bushes" The dragon let out a sigh of relief "Anyway, they are worried"

"Considering what you have told me about them, I'm not surprised, son. Clearly, they care about you a lot"

"Yeah... But that only makes me feel worse"

_Flashback_

_Natsu could not resist the chance to follow them. He wanted to know how they were, if Happy was doing okay, if Lucy was happy..._

_"Lucy Are you okay?" Erza insisted for the third time_

_The girl just nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. Gray gave said girl a questioning look and then looked at Erza, expecting some sort of explanation, but she just shrugged._

_After a half hour hike, they reached the foot of the mountain, which was covered with snow and a few evergreen trees. It was the most wonderful thing they had ever been since next to the chain of rocks, beautiful and small pink bell-shaped flowers decorated the place, making the place look like a pink, almost red, sea._

_"It's beautiful ..." Lucy muttered, while crouching near a cluster of flowers and smelling their sweet fragrance._

_"I don't understand why you are ducking, there are so many flowers around that if there is something you have no problem doing is smelling them" Gray said_

_"If Natsu was here, I'm sure he would complain of the strong scent" Erza added with a sad smile. The boy, hidden behind a couple of trees, saw how the look of the celestial mage turned dark and silence reined the place. It was noticeable that Happy was doing a great effort to stop himself from crying while Gray was clenching his fists, his anger was almost tangible for the Dragon Slayer. The same applied to Erza, but it was also accompanied by a face full of sadness. Meanwhile, Lucy was covering her eyes with her golden hair, but quickly looked up and showed the group her sad smile as she approached the little blue cat. When she bent down, she put her hand between the cat's ears, with no intention of removing them until the Exceed started feeling a bit better. She looked up at her other two companions._

_"Surely he would have started feeling ill and we would have had to listen to his complaints until we reached the train, and then he would have started to feel dizzy from what he says is the" deathly transportation"" The girl laughed at the thought and the rest of the team was sure that it would have been the case. Everyone had a tinge of sadness in his eyes when talking about their pink haired friend_

_"Ne, Lucy?" Happy whispered weakly, but Natsu, and even Erza and Gray, heard him and his faint voice "I miss him"_

_Lucy lost that sad smile and replaced it with a sympathetic one_

_"Me too Happy, but I'm sure he will come back soon" Gray and Erza exchanged a glace for a brief moment, thinking the same thing; it was impossible to determine when they would see the smiling Dragon Slayer, but they needed to keep their hopes up, Happy and Lucy needed them more than ever_

_"Lucy is right, Happy" Erza said "And when he returns, I will finally be able to give him a beating for his disappearing act" The girl cracked her fingers and Happy swallowed... Erza was scary. The redhead was able to hide her concerns lying in the depths of her mind from Happy, but she couldn't deceive Lucy_

_"Well, anyway ..." Gray added "We'll have time to kick his ass when he gets back, but for now we must finish this" Everyone started taking plants from the roots, taking the necessary amount, which was great given the small size of the flower_

_Natsu was astonished after witnessing all that. He knew his friends must have been missing him but he never wanted to see their faces full of anger, pain and sadness._

_They knew him well, for he, the moment that he came close to the clearing, had felt the urge to sneeze due to the pollen, but held back so that his nakama wouldn't see him. They were right about that, and about him being sick for a long time, and unfortunately, he was right about one thing; his departure had destroyed Happy. The only thing that made him feel a bit better was knowing the role that now Lucy had in all that, because clearly, she was a great moral support and rock for the little cat._

_It was then that Natsu felt his cheeks getting wet. The boy raised his hands, allowing the tears to get them wet "_Tears?"_ They were falling incessantly; the thought of Lucy, Happy, Erza and even Gray, seeing their pained expressions, knowing that his departure had caused them, was too much for him. He allowed the cascade of tears to flow, the walls around his heart were destroyed the moment he heard his partners' words "_Damn it"_._

_He had been holding well, too well, and had only cried twice in the past year, one being when he left Fairy Tail; he hadn't been able to turn around one last time to wave his family goodbye because the tears didn't take long to make his eyes sting and although he had had time to take it all in, his emotional side triumphed over the small rational side that he surprisingly had. The other moment was when he found Igneel, but not for the thrill of finding his father or anything like that: When he found him, Natsu had gone on a rampage and screamed at the dragon, for he was not a guy who shed tears of happiness nor someone who would just forget about all that time he was searching for him; he cried when he learned he would have to leave Fairy Tail, he would have to leave his family._

"Why aren't they stopping?_" The boy sat on the cold snow, although that was not the case for him, and covered by a bush, he let his face fall into his hands, in a desperate attempt to cover up his tears from the world and stop them at the same time. He didn't realize how much time he spent in that position, but when he came to, Natsu noticed that everything had turned very quiet; they were gone._

"It's necessary, Natsu" Igneel said, guilt ridden. As if reading his thoughts, Natsu spoke

"It's not your fault, Igneel. I think the only good thing that came out of this whole situation we got ourselves into, is that I was able to see you again" The boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, with which he had seen his nakama a few days ago.

"I agree with you in that, but I can't help feeling guilty that you can't see your friends"

"It's what we need to do if we want to help the other dragons, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I wish there was another way" Igneel voiced his opinion while a sad smile appeared in his face

"You are not the only one" The boy said after turning around to continue his was to the cave. He needed to rest and clear his mind for a while.

* * *

"We're back!" Lucy's voice was drowned by all of the screaming in the guild, but a white-haired girl heard her perfectly

"Welcome back!" Mira said with a smile as she wiped a freshly cleaned glass.

"Mira, do you have some strawberry yogurt?" Lucy asked as she took a sin on the stool

"Yeah, I will bring it right away, as well as your cake, Erza" she replied as she watched Titania take a seat next to the celestial mage

"Lucy Are you sure you're okay? Since the conversation about-"

"I don't wanna talk about it, Erza" evaded the question Lucy, as she showed her friend one of her brightest smiles

"Lucy, I think that-" Erza insisted

"I think I better go home. Please tell Mira I'm sorry" Lucy stood up and quickly left the guild, a blue cat following close behind, back to her home"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Lucy ..." Happy murmured at the sight of his distraught "mother" as they enter the apartment

"Happy don't worry, I'm fine ... I think I'm going to write for a bit" The kitty let it be, deciding to sit on the edge of the girl's bed as he watched her writing intently on that white piece of paper. The Exceed knew that what she was writing at the moment was another part of her novel, and when it came time for the girl to write her letters, he would give her some space.

An hour later, Happy was asleep on the couch, curled into a ball, with a sheet over him to keep him warm, clearly that was the blonde's idea. Meanwhile, she was dedicating time and effort to her letters.

"_We cannot help remember you during missions. We are always thinking of what you would say, what you would do, what you would feel ... I would love not having to think about it, and to actually see it live and direct. Happy has told me again, he misses you and I cannot blame him-_" Her line of thoughts was interrupted at the sight of droplets of water in her letter... Who was she kidding? She knew that those drops were her tears that started falling without a warning. She decided that this wouldn't get her anywhere: Crying had always taken every ounce of energy out of her, both physically and emotionally, so she knew it would be best to lie on her bed and try to regain some energy

_"Damn it... Why aren't you back, stupid Natsu?" _She thought as the tears kept on pouring out of her deep brown eyes

* * *

Erza was lost in thought, unable to do anything but stab a piece of her strawberry cake and bring it to her mouth, isolating herself from the rest of the environment.

"Erza" When her teammate touched her shoulder, he snapped her out of her reverie

"Gray..."

"What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, it's just ..." She stopped to think of what to say "I'm worried"

"Because ...?" He asked, but having an idea of what it was about

"Because of Natsu, Lucy and Happy. Where the hell is that idiot? Why hasn't he contacted us? Is he okay? Lucy is worried, so I'm worried about her. On the other hand, Happy is sad so I'm worried about him and-"

"And what about you?" Erza looked at him blankly "How are you dealing with all this?"

"I've already-"

"No, you said you're worried about Lucy, Happy and the pyromaniac but what I am asking is how you are. How do you feel about Natsu's departure? I think you're so concerned about others that you aren't thinking in yourself, Erza" Gray said severely _"And it wouldn't be the first time that you've done it"_

"I think ... I don't know I think I'm good, I miss him but I know he will come back, sooner or later ... And you, Gray? Don't you miss him?"

"Miss him? Miss Flame-head?" The boy laughed, but Erza knew that he just wanted to lighten the atmosphere. He missed him, just like everyone else in the guild did.

* * *

_"Natsu! Where are you?!" A stellar mage screamed desperately while running through the battlefield. As she ran, she could see the bodies of several of her friends, unconscious, along with the bodies of other mages and also ordinary people. In the distance, she could see an unconscious Erza, being treated by Wendy and observed by blue-haired mage who was fighting a bit further away. Gray was trying to control the screams and cries of a Juvia in shock, while Lyon was covering for them until Juvia snapped out of it. Gajeel was busy protecting Levy and Team Shadow Gear. Mira was fighting alongside her siblings, and not far from them, the Raijinshuu team did the same. He recognized Ichiya, Hibiki, Ren Eve and Blue Pegasus, and surprisingly, Rogue, Sting, Yukino, Olga and Rufus Sabertooth, fighting alongside other wizards of Fairy Tail._

_"Natsu!" The girl kept moving among the mages that were fighting until her feet took her Downtown, where, ironically, there was not a soul in sight, or so she thought until she saw something further ahead._

_"Natsu!" The girl ran up to her partner's side, whose pale face only managed to worry her more. The boy was covered in bumps and bruises, but his worst injury was the one on his left shoulder, blood pouring out of it non-stop._

_"Natsu! Wake up! Please!" The girl screamed desperately while keeping pressure on the wound. She was so worried about the blood flowing freely, that she didn't notice a pair of jade eyes opening slowly_

_"Lucy ..." he murmured softly. The girl looked at him quickly, but no relieved smile appeared on her face_

_"Don't worry, Natsu! You'll be fine!" She knew that those words were not meant for the boy lying in front of her with that peaceful expression in his eyes. Those words were nothing more than a desperate attempt to calm down and convince herself that everything would be fine "Happy left to get you some help. Wendy is still healing Erza, but Chelia is coming so stay with me, okay?"_

_"I'm sorry ... Lucy" The boy closed his eyes, with no intention of opening them... Ever again_

"NO!" Lucy Hearfilia opened her eyes to find herself in her apartment in the dark; her own cry had managed to wake her up. The girl hid her face in her shaking hands, trying to get her mind off of the images of her nightmare that now tormented_ "What was that?"_

* * *

The pink-haired boy was expecting that, but even so, it was too much to take in

"You ..." he started to say. His father looked at him with a smile on his lips; his son's face was priceless

"You're Grandine?" The boy's face was full of surprise, his eyes wide while facing the white sky dragon who at his father's side

"Your face is priceless!" Igneel laughed as he shared his thoughts. The other dragon smiled at seeing Igneel so relaxed, and for finally being able to meet the famous Natsu a.k.a Salamander

"I must say I didn't expect anything else from your son, Igneel" Grandine said as she smiled at Natsu

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or what?" Igneel wondered, but was ignored due to his son's comment

"You are Wendy's dragon" Grandine's smile changed from a cheerful one for a sad and melancholic one

"How has she been these last few years?"

"Well ... It's been a year since I last saw her, but I'm sure that she's still that awkward and happy-go-lucky girl" The boy showed Grandine a relaxed smile while laughing at the memory of his friend, but that expression shifted soon, "She misses you" Natsu gave her a smile full of sympathy

"Well, I'm glad" She replied ignoring the last comment that made her feel bad. Grandine's expression didn't change, so Igneel decided to intervene

"Grandine, don't worry, It won't be long before you see her again," He muttered so only she could hear

"True" Her face turned a little happier after hearing her friend's words

"Anyway! I got the plants I owed you!"

"What do you mean 'I got'!" Natsu intervened "I was the one who found them!"

"Are you saying that not only did it take you years to return them, but you did because you sent your son to get them for you?" A dark aura was surrounding the dragon, and Natsu moved away, his instincts screaming at him that he was in the presence of a second Erza

"Oh, come on! At least I got them, see?" the dragon pointed to the floor where the plants were laying, not at all affected by the frightening aura of his friend, or rather, he didn't let the effect it had on him to be noticeable.

"Those are not the plants" Grandine said bluntly

"WHAT?! I was sure that they were those"

"They aren't, so interests continue to rise" Igneel's joy disappeared, replacing it with his depressed aura

"Interests?" Natsu asked without following the conversation

"Now, not only you have to get me those herbs that you burned back then, but you also have to get me 5 plants of Chazai, and those 5 will turn into 6 if you don't get them by the end of the year"

"Oh! Okay then, there's plenty of time before the end of the year"

"Yes, but the Chazai is very hard to get ... they are very rare plants" Igneel felt the pressure of Grandine's fierce gaze when she said that. The dragon swallowed hard and decided to change the subject

"Well, I think it's time we talk about why we got together"

"Is there a reason?" Natsu was confused

"Well, I didn't tell you until I was sure of what we were doing ..." Igneel's voice trailed off, and watched Grandine as she gestured him to continue "It's time for us to fix this mess, it's time for dragons to roam free again, and so you can go back to Fairy Tail"

**_THANK YOU FOR READING :)_**

**_So... I'm a bit rusty in the whole translating department, how did I do? :)_**

**_Did you like this chapter? Did you dislike it? Loved it? Hated it? Review please! It's been a while since I last smiled like an idiot (only reviews have that effect on me)_**

**_This chapter was a bit short since the time I wrote it in Spanish I had sprained my finger... Yeah... My finger... I'm an idiot :)_**

**_Little by little we are finding out a bit more about this story's mysteries ;) Lucy's dream plays an important part, so don't think less of them. I hope that was I have prepared for you is of your liking hehe_**

**_Thank you for all the reviews, the favs and follows! It means a lot :)_**


	6. It's just a dream, right?

_**Hey everyone! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great start and that it continues that way! Lots of happiness and health for all of you and those who surround you :)**_

**_Well, for this chapter I had had a few problems with my inspiration... so yeah... It's kindda short and crappy but I hope you still like it :) ... Stupid writer's block -.-_**

**_Well, here you have it! The 6th chapter of "I'm Still Waiting"_**

"LUCY!" Said girl woke up with a start after hearing that familiar high-pitched voice

"Happy..." She sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes to catch a glimpse of the flying the cat above her head, which had succeeded in interrupting her much needed bauty sleep "Can't you see I was sleeping? It's too early to go to the guild" The stelar mage needed to rest; after that nightmare, falling asleep had become a very difficult task, unable to get to sleep until dawn, when fatigue overcame her.

"But Charle... fish..." Said the depressed kitten. Lucy didn't pay attention to him, determined to sleep for at least two more hours

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

When the blonde opened her eyes once again, the little blue cat was nowhere to be found. The sun lit up the room perfectly, making the mage know that it was already noon

The celestial mage got dressed and left her home, heading to the guild, and after a few minutes of walking, reached her destination

"Good Morning!"

"Good morning, Lucy!" Mira answered her while placing a vanilla milkshake for the mage when she took a seat in one of the stools

"You came later than usual. Did something happen?"

"No" Lucy lied. Truth be told, she couldn't get that nightmare out of her mind "I stayed up late writing so I wanted to sleep a little more"

The white-haired didn't think much of it and easily believed her friend's words, so she continued washing the dishes.

Lucy, meanwhile, started going over her dream in her mind, over and over again; _"It was a dream, at least I know that, but ... it was so real. I think I'm thankful that Natsu isn't here now, because if he were, I wouldn't be able to help thinking that maybe itmore than that..."_ Thinking this, the girl let sleep consume her again

* * *

_"NATSU! Please! You have to open your eyes!" The girl was shaking him desperately after he had lost his __conscience_

_"Lucy!" Happy was flying towards the blonde while carrying a pink-haired girl in his little paws_

_"Happy! Chelia!" Said girl let Happy drop her to the floor, next to the pink-haired boy_

_"He's still alive" She informed while working on him with her healing magic. Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Fortunately, Chelia had improved a lot, just like Wendy had too, and was helaing the Dragon Slayer quite quickly "He's going to be fine, but we should take him to a safe place"_

_The blonde took in her partner's appearance; he looked tired and was covered in blood, but the wounds from where it had sprouted were already closed._

_"I'm sorry" The God Slayer said "I don't have enough time to clean his wounds. Even so, if there were any infections, my magic has already taken care of them" She added at the sight of the confused celestial mage, who laughed at the comment; The most important thing was that he was still alive, nothing else. Clearly, Chelia had never believed, not even for a second,that Natsu was at death's door. If that had been the case, she would have been far more nervous and wouldn't have said such an irrelevant thing "Well, I have to go back and help the others fight" Her look turned sorrowful for a second. She had seen so much blood in those past few hours "If that's okay with you" she added, changing to her usual expression once again._

_"Yes, thank you so much, Chelia!" She watched the pink-haired girl turn around, heading to the battlefield "Happy! Can you take Natsu to a safe place?"_

_"Aye Sir!"_

_"Great" Lucy turned once again to see how Chelia had become just a dot in the distance "I'll be right behind you" The Exceed wrapped his tail around his partner's chest and flew away while Lucy was running below him._

_In just a matter of minutes, they found themselvez surrounded by the other Fairy Tail mages, and were quite relieved that they were familiar faces; Erza, who was now completely healed and Wendy, who was supporting her with her magic, Cana, Gray and Juvia, the latter had recovered from her previous shock, were fighting side by side not far from the redhead and the blue-haired girl. Lyon was now a bit further away, helping his nakama from Lamia Scale,and Chelia had now joined them. Mira, Elfman and Lisanna were fighting next to Laxus, Evergreen, Freed y Bixlow. Somewhere else, Levy, Gajeel, Jet and Droy were all helping each other out (although Gajeel was accepting it reluctantly if it wasn't Pantherlily, who was near his partner). Sabertooth's and Blue Pegasus' mages were still there, supporting different groups from Fairy Tail. Makarov was a bit further away than everyone else with Master Bob from Blue Pegasus, both of them having troubles with their fights. Jellal and Meredy were near the master, and their situation was not that different. Lucy couldn't help but think that maybe it was hopeless, maybe they were doomed the momento this fight started. The blonde stopped running and saw how Happy went inside a half destroyed house with a still __unconscious __Natsu, without leaving his partner's side in case an attack forced them to escape. She looked around once more, taking in the scene before her and preparing herself to fight. She was one hundred meters away from her friends; for her, it wasn't that much of a distance. She thought that if she needed help, her nakama were relatively close by to help her out, and the same applied if they needed help._

_She was wrong._

_A shadow came out of nowhere and attacked her, Lucy let out a cry of pain that echoed all across the battlefield; all the Fairy Tail members that were present turned to see the blonde in her knees, and her body followed not long after_

_"LUCY!"_

_"Lucy-san!"_

_"Lucy!"_

_"Love Rival!"** (N/A: LOL ... yeah, that was Juvia)**_

_"Lu-chan!"_

_"Bunny girl!"_

_"Blondie!"_

_She heard her name being called out in all its varieties, their voices filled of concern, and saw that they were not able to reach her; the fight was still going on and she was on her own against her attacker. The girl knelt quickly on the lookout for another blow, leaning on her hands. She had the intention of turning her head to see the attacker, but began coughing due to the rapid movements that followed the attack_

_"You shouldn't stand up yet" The attacker said_

_Lucy stood up, ignoring the message. Her knees were still a little weak and she knew she wouldn't be able to dodge another attack like that. The blonde saw this person accumulating power again to attack, his hand surrounded by a dark mist that looked like a black sphere. The attacker yelled and next thing she knew, that black ball of mist was coming towards her. It was quickly approaching her..._

"¡LUCY!"

The celestial mage woke up with a start for a second time in the day, now after hearing his partner calling out for her

"Gray..." She whispered with tiredness evident in her voice

"Are you okay?" The boy looked at her intently

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" She lied feeling intimidated by the alchemist's intense stare

"It looked like you were having a nightmare" He declared without any apparent interest in his voice, but deep down, he was worried. The mage had been acting strange since coming to the guild, starting with her time of arrival; too late for the celestial mage who was usually an early riser.

"It's nothing, don't worry" The boy decided not to press at the moment, but he would continue that conversation later.

"Well?" Erza said as she appeared behind Gray

"I haven't asked her yet" The exhibitionist answered

"What are you talking about?" The celestial mage asked, quite confused

"We were thinking of going on this mission," Erza showed her the add and Lucy read it carefully

"Helping organize a festival? Sounds good, but the festival is not until within a week"

"Yes, but we need to get there, and organizing these things takes time. Moreover, as it is a simple mission that besides offering a reward, they offer you hotel rooms to stay for the festival, we were sure that somebody would take the request before us if we didn't hurry "explained Gray

"I see... Well, it sounds good"

"What do you say of leaving now?" Erza asked

"I have no problem, but let me tell Happy about it"

An hour later, Lucy had already finisihed packing and was in the station with Happy, Gray and Erza, ready to go.

The trip wouldtake a few hours so they decided to spend their time talking about trivial things. Erza, Gray and Happy were very much involved in the conversation, but couldn't help noticing that their companion was lost in her own world, staring out the window and all that the train left behind, deep in thought "_It's the second time it happens. What the hell do they mean? Who attacked me? Why? It's way to similar to what happened back then... No, it can't happen again, it's simply impossible ... Natsu Where are you? ... With these dreams I can't help but being relieved that you're not here "_

* * *

"So... it won't be easy then, right?"

"I'm glad you could perceive the seriousness of this matter, Natsu" Grandine said, surprised that the boy understood more than she expected

_"Believe me, it's not like that Grandine, just wait for it"_ Igneel said in his head

"What I don't understand ..." _"Here comes"_ thought Igneel "Is how we are going to track them"

"..."

"..."

"Did you understand anything at all?" His father said, sweat-dropping, not surprised at all by Natsu's lack of ability to pay attention for a long span of time

"We can't track down anything that is not in this world, Natsu" Grandine explained to him "That's why we need that kind of magic in our favour"

"And if you need that magic, why the hell did you make me leave Fairy Tail?"

"You know the answer to that Natsu"Igneel said, tired of his son's lack of attention that led him to asking things that had already been answered.

"There is no mage in the world that has that kind of magic. What happened in X777 only shows that we need some kind of alternative power source to ensure the safety of the mage, that's where we come in" Grandine was much more patient, surprisingly. Maybe it was because she hadn't been living with the guy for a year

"Besides that, there's the fact that we aren't the only ones who need that magic Natsu. I'm sure you remember that we must take precautions about that"

"UGH! My head is spinning!" It was a great deal of information to be processed so quickly. Certainly, the whole situation was too much for the Dragon Slayer. The moment Igneel mentioned his return to Fairy Tail, he couldn't help smiling, but he didn't like at all, all the data that followed

_Flashback_

_"Natsu, as you know, I couldn't afford to let you go back to Fairy Tail, since we had to be careful in case Zeref tracked you down again" began Igneel_

_"Zeref isn't interested in killing you, but in you killing him. However, it would be extremely dangerous to have the dark wizard meeting your partner" continued Grandine_

_"Lucy"_

_"Eh?"_

_"Her name is Lucy" Natsu tells her_

_"Okay then, Lucy" the dragon corrected herself "The point is that you know what could happen if Zeref crosses paths with her" Nothing of what they where saying was new to Natsu. This informations was being repeated from the time when his father told him that it would be best to stay with him for half a year. Still, the boy kept his head down ... he knew pretty well what could happen and he didn't want to imagine it; It was the only reason why he was being so patient regarding his return to Fairy Tail. What he didn't understand was what had changed in those past few days so that coming back to Fairy Tail wasn't only a distant event. The boy had decided to express his doubts aloud, but it seemed that his father read it on his face_

_"The reason why the time to return to Fairy Tail is near, is because we managed to track Zeref and Acnologia"_

_"That means..."_

_"To hell with defense ... It's time for the counterattack"_

_**Thank you for reading! :)**_

_**I know, I know... Lots and lost of suspense... I think hehe**_

_**How are Zeref and Lucy related? ¿What's going to happen with Acnologia and what's its relationship with Zeref? What's going to happen with Lucy's dreams? CHAN-CHAN-CHAAAAAAN**_

_**Please leave a comment below! Don't be lazy ;)**_

_**Thank you **_**_SakuraPetal91, SamanthaRoseHeartfillia and LRCN for your comments! :D_**


	7. A Memory

**_So... Yeah... I'm still alive... hehe_**

**_I've been on vacations for a while now (when I say vacations, I mean that I was away, meaning, no computer, meaning, no chance to write), and classes start next Monday so... I don't know when my next update will be... I suck, I know, I admit it. I'll try to update on Sunday, but I don't know. I always find myself more encouraged to update the Spanish version... Sorry._**

**_For now! If you're still somewhere and haven't given up on me, I've got this brand new chapter that's waiting to be read!_**

**_Thank you for waiting for so long! If you still are... which I doubt..._**

**_Enjoy the seventh chapter of 'I'm Still Waiting'_**

That morning, Lucy woke up very discouraged, depressed some would say.

It was something that happened from time to time. She would remember something, a fragment of the previous night's events, right before going to sleep, would appear on her mind, or a dream would pop up every so often, that would remind her of the longstanding absence of her best friend and nakama, Natsu Dragneel. And then, a sickening feeling would come to her, making her feel that everything she once thought as stable ground, is collapsing before her eyes. A knot would form in her throat, and she would have that indescribable pressure in her chest, like something is sucking the life out of her.

She would wake up like this from time to time, thanks to the memories that were once dear to her, and still are, but now mixed with that painful reminder that he is gone. She would remember waking up feeling some sort of tickling in her face or neck, thanks to her friend's pink and messy hair. She would remember being unusually warm, or the feeling of an arm around her waist, holding her protectively. How much she missed those mornings was indescribable. Even if Natsu returned -and the celestial mage had to constantly remind herself not to say "if" but "when"- things would never be the same. She just simply got the feeling in her chest that the moment the six-month-wait ended, something changed ... The celestial mage did not know what had changed, or how, but something was different.

When the blonde mage finally found the energy to open her eyes, though not very pleased to do so, she turned her back to the wall, focusing her attention on the air, noting hoe the dust particles danced around the room, visible thanks to the warm sunlight coming through her window, as well as warmed up her room on that cold winter morning. That weather reminded her even more of her nakama, who was always determined to break into her home, insisting that if he did not sleep with her, she would get sick.

With this nostalgia that filled her heart, the girl realized she needed to write, she needed to release her sorrows and frustrations, and that method was the best to do so.

_"Natsu ... How I miss that sound, the sound of your name, my way of saying it while scolding you or calling your attention... I miss your smile, your laugh, your honesty, your voice, my heart squeezing when looking at you and my stomach full of butterflies when you look at me or call me "Luce", when you laugh or talk. I hate the fact that my letters have their recipient, but not a destination. I hate shedding tears because of you, I hate being mad at you, and being sad because of you the same time. I hate not understanding what's happening, not knowing if you're okay. But mostly, I hate not having you by my side_" A tear rolled down her slightly pale cheek, in contrast to her now red eyes and nose, but that did not stop her from dumping everything she was feeling and that she didn't dare to say out loud_ "A week has passed since the one year anniversary of your departure. Can you tell what day it is? Have you been keeping track of the days that have past? Or will you simply appear unannounced with that goofy smile saying that time passed by very quickly while traveling with your father? I've imagined over and over and over your arrival: where will I see you first, what expression will you make, what will you see reflected on my gaze, what will you say, what and how will I answer ... There are already so many different scenarios that I cannot remember most of them. Sometimes I am hopeful, thinking 'It shouldn't take him long to return', while other days, like today, anguish consumes me and I cannot help thinking that I will never cross paths with you._

_Please, don't make us wait any longer, don't make me wait any longer._

_Come back soon, Natsu_

_Love, Lucy Hearfilia"_

The blonde left her pen on her desk, right next to the ink, and went to the bathroom to take a much needed relaxing bath.

The door opened a few minutes later, letting the steam escape from that tiny room, allowing the blonde to get some fresher air. The celestial mage put on a skirt and pink tank top, since she had no intentions of leaving her small and comfortable shelter. She had decided while taking her bath, that she would relax a bit longer in her apartment before heading out to the guild, postponing her battle with her worst enemy at the moment, the snow. That was what she would have done, if not for her splitting headache that came out of began to struggle with her vision, which was turning blurrier by the second. She was just fine a minute before, and now, she just wanted to lie on the floor and scream while feeling her head split into pieces.

In a desperate attempt to reach for her keys to ask for some help, she hit a vase, knocking it over and causing it to shatter into pieces against her wooden floor, much like what was happening to her head. The blonde held it in pain, until it became too much and her body fell on the porcelain pieces scattered around the room. She felt the material piercing through her skin, and much like her headache, it turned from a slight pang to something constant. Her eyelids became heavier and heavier. She blinked several times in succession, each time taking longer for her to re-open her big brown eyes, until she couldn't open them any longer; the pain consumed her as she lost consciousness.

* * *

It had been a few days since Grandine's last visit, Natsu could slightly remember waking up in the middle of the night and see both dragons sleeping next to each other, but the next morning, there was no trace of Grandine left, as if she had never been there to begin with. That had left a bitter taste in his mouth, due to the painful memories it had brought back, from the time in his childhood when Igneel abandoned him.

_"How did Fairy Tail and Lucy feel after my departure? Did I by any chance, made them feel the same way that Igneel made me feel back then? I said goodbye, they knew I'd leave. Although, they also thought I would return in half a year and I didn't. Do they will feel betrayed? Will they be angry, sad, worried, because I did not come back?_ " Natsu asked himself this same questions every day, ever since six months ago; during that first half of the year that had gone by, he would only ask himself some of these things, but now the situation was different. It's been a year since his departure, not six months. It's been six months since he broke his promise to come back. _"UGH! This is frustrating! I don't know what to think, what to feel about this whole thing! I just know I want to go back, but don't want ... I do not want to expose them to that, but I want to see everyone ... I want to see Lucy "_

The young pink-haired was sitting in the cold snow with his favorite outfit: his black vest and creamy shorts (Lucy had insisted it was a creamy colour, instead of white, but he disagreed, she was weird after all). He was shocked when he felt the snow on his skin: cold. The Dragon Slayer fire should not feel the cold, it had been that way since childhood. However, now he did, or at least, he felt the snow on his skin, and a small tingle, that he wanted to think of as cool, because he had no recollection of ever having felt that, ever. Was he getting sick, perhaps? No, he knew very well that this "cold" he was feeling, was nothing more, nothing less, than chills, generated by a distant memory of little over a year ago, when he found his father and heard the news that changed his life forever. He was getting way to familiar with that feeling, and with loneliness as well.

_Flashback_

_It was another simple mission that Lucy, Natsu and Happy had gone on without Erza, Wendy and Gray, since none of them were available for different reasons: Erza was helping Master with some papers and documents that had to be delivered to the Council. Gray had not been in the guild all day since he was hiding from Juvia, who was desperate to get some attention from his "Gray-sama". In their last missions, Wendy had not accompanied them. Even though she was still a part of Team Natsu, she also team up with Romeo regularly, sometimes accompanied by Lisanna and Elfman if the mission was too hard to deal with for Fairy Tail's youngest members._

_That day had not been the exception. The only members from Team Natsu at the guild were Natsu, Lucy and Happy when Lucy had explained, as she usually did, her need for money to pay the rent._

_During the mission, thanks to some quirk of life, Natsu and Lucy had separated. It was quite probable after all: the mission required to defeat some Vulcans up in the mountains. During winter, fierce storms were a daily occurrence over there, which made it even more possible for avalanches to occur. The same ones that eventually separated them: Natsu and Happy on one side, Lucy on the other._

_"Happy, do you see anything?" Natsu asked, his voice giving away how worried he was. The storm was hampering the search greatly, and with the Vulcans nearby, his partner could be in big trouble._

_"Aye, sir! Snow!" Dragon Slayer sweat-dropped_

_"I mean any clues about Lucy, Happy"_

_"Oh... no," He answered, despondent. They had been looking for about an hour and there were still no signs of the Vulcans or their partner_

_They continued walking until Natsu, who could not see the path clearly, fell off a cliff._

_"Natsu!" Happy shouted worried, trying to fly to his friend but the wind didn't allow him to_

_"I'm fine! I'll find a way to climb up!" The boy looked up to see the great fall he had just gone through; at least 30 meters. Luckily, thanks to his great strength and almost inhuman body, falling from that height was practically nothing for the Dragon Slayer. That, and snow had also served as a great way to cushion the fall. He then took a look around to find a route that would allow him to climb up. Nothing._

_Happy finally managed to reach Natsu, not before struggling with his most recent enemy, the wind._

_"Natsu, are you okay?"_

_"Of course!" The boy showed Happy his big goofy smile while the Exceed grabbed his friend's waist with his tail in order to lift him up and get the two of them out of that place and resume their search. However, when they were about reach the edge, the wind pushed them down. They tried five times until they finally assumed that they could not go that way._

_"First, I can't go down, and now I can't go up! What's wrong with this wind?! I bet it wants my fish!" Happy said, outraged_

_"I'm pretty sure that's not it, buddy" Natsu smiled at his partner "Probably just the currents" He said, most to himself than to Happy_

_Natsu glanced around again, noticing that the wind was much weaker down there than above them. It actually made a lot of sense. That so called cliff turned out to be more of a sort of canyon than anything else, because in reality, the cliff was parallel to the mountains, which resulted in this 'canyon' or 'cliff' being enclosed in between two rock walls._

_"Ne, Natsu ... Do you think Lucy could have also fallen here?"_

_"No, this cliff must be on the other side of the mountain were the avalanche happened or it would have been covered with snow"_

_"Meaning..." Happy didn't understand a thing of what he was saying_

_"We are lost. It seems that at some point we stopped following the path that the avalanche took and gave some kind of turn"_

_"I don't get it" Happy was now, even more confused " What's wrong with you, Natsu?! You seem smart today! You are not being stupid! I think Lucy's weirdness is rubbing off on you"_

_Listening to Happy, made Natsu snort, but ignored the comment and continued explaining. Given Happy's confusion while describing what happened, Natsu resorted to use a drawing in the snow to explain, which was not very clear._

_"Let's suppose we were here when the avalanche happened" He said drawing an X in the snow "When it came, (he draw a line that went towards to the X), all three of us ran down the hill, but Lucy turned right and we turned left (To represent that, he drew dotted lines representing both directions taken) After the avalanche, we went right to look for Lucy, but it seems that while we were heading there, we went up the mountain, we passed the path the avalanche went through and gave some kind of turn "For this, Natsu kept on drawing lines and lines that overlap, making it impossible to understand. At the end, the drawing look more like doodles than anything else, however ..._

_"OH! Now I get it!" Happy exclaimed while fisting one of his paws and hitting his other palm with it._

_"Great! Well, What do you say about splitting up, you go right, I go left, and we look for a way out and meet here again in 15 minutes?"_

_"Aye sir!" Happy responded._

_Natsu walked for two minutes straight, until he found a cave in the wall of the mountain. It certainly caught the Dragon Slayer's attention, as he was now stepping on the entrance. He was even more curious when he felt a draft ... _"Hot air ?!"_ Not only it was a curious cave, but suspicious as well. The pink-haired man decided to just sniff around to try and detect the source of this heat. To say he was wonderstruck was little: he had managed track down a scent he knew well, but was then nothing but a memory._

_That smell he knew well and longed to feel again. That warmth that emanated from his body. Natsu could not help but delve into the cave, one step, two steps, three, four and then one more. In that place, not as exposed to the open air, it was much easier to identify the smell, and shape._

_"Igneel ..."_

**_Thank you for reading! :D_**

**_I liked this chapter, how it turned out at least. But what do you think? I really wanna know so don't go al ninja-reader on me, and review! GOT IT?! ;)_**

**_I don't know if the think with the cliff made any sense, I just picture it and try to describe it as hard as I can_**

**_And again... REVIEW! PRETTY PLEASE :) And let me tell you something about me: I'm always more encouraged to write when I get reviews._**

**_And thanks for your comments on chapter 6: SakuraPetal91, SapphireFairyTail and Queen Micky !_**


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